Music

In my classes on child development, they taught that music was one of the ten necessities for normal development in toddlers. (Just in case you're curious the other nine are: stable relationships, touch, a safe environment, quality care, play, expressions of worth, reading, communication, and parental involvment). Music helps children learn through repetition, exposes them to their culture, and expresses the importance of creativity. 

I dunno if I believe all of that really. But, I love music--so sure, I include it in our normal routine. Oh, by the way--classical  music doesn't make you smarter. The actual study said that Mozart music helped college students perform better for a 15 minute window when performing spatial puzzles. Pregnancy headphones are the result of marketing and way-out-of-proportion media hype. So, whatever music makes lifts your spirit whether it be Beethoven or the Beatles--it really doesn't matter. 

I like to watch performances, so this list is basically my favorite music that also meets my baby video criteria: no flashing, and a minimum of camera shifts, i.e. visually understimulating, so that dinobaby can focus on the music itself. And I also look for short pieces. Dinobaby does have an impressive attention span, but he's still 9 months old. Two or three minutes at a time is ideal. 

Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens

• Each movement is supposed to illustrate a different animal and features a different instrument
• Elephants, swans, fish, Lions, etc. 
• Leopleuradon loves birds. So of course Voliere (The Aviary) is his favorite. It might also have something to do with the fact that children hear the upper register clearer than they hear lower tones. 

Little Prayer- Evelyn Glennie

• She's deaf, and has been since childhood--before she ever learned to play the Marimba. She talks about learning to hear without her ears, feeling the vibrations in the floor, off the wall. Cool.

Bach Suite on Mandolin by Chris Thile

• Dinobaby loves this. He just watches his fingers like he's being hypnotized.

Tiny Desk Concerts by NPR

• Really awesome music from all kinds of musicians: Iron and Wine, Bluegrass bands, classical violinists, Pheonix etc. 
• Since it's a radio show its all about the sound, no stupid backup dancers or choreography. 

Rabbit Days and Dumplings: East Asian Children's songs by Elena Moon Park

• I haven't bought this CD yet, but I probably will. Pretty cool music, without that really obnoxious tinny sound that usually defines children's music. 
• You can listen to five of the songs here. 

And the boy soprano I already talked about.